Historic pond awaits govt attention

HAJIPUR: It is indeed strange that an ambitious project for the facelift of some historic sites, including Vaishaligarh and Kaunharaghat, has been sanctioned under the Rashtriya Sam Vikas Yojana but the 600-year-old Sarsai pokhar has not been included in the project despite a request letter of Hajipur MP Ram Vilas Paswan and other leaders to the state government.Sarsai pond, spread over 52 bighas of land, is a beautiful site with serene surroundings on the Hajipur-Mahua road. The place has also historical importance. Paswan has made a request to the state government to develop the site for promotion of eco-tourism. Throwing light on the historical importance of the pond, social activist and president of Prachin Prakritik Dharohar Pratayan Sansthan, Amod K Nirala, said the pond was dug at the instance of Raja Shiv Singh in 1402 AD. Raja Shiv Singh was the king of Thakori dynasty. The pond is famous for its red and blue lotus flowers which provide a magical beauty to it. According to a local myth, it was dug by thousands of rakshashas (monsters) on the order of the king. A local, Bindeshwari Prasad Himanshu, said a demand was made to develop the pond as an eco-tourist site way back in 1970. The then Union tourism minister, Jagmohan, had also asked the Bihar tourism secretary in 2003 to submit a detailed report on it. "But till date, none from the government has even bothered to visit the historic site," Nirala said, adding thousands of medicinal plants grow around the pond and rare birds dwell on the huge old trees around it. Meanwhile, Vaishali DM H R Sriniwas said efforts would be made to include the pond in the list of important sites that are to get a facelift.